Home Schooling

All parents and guardians are required to educate their children, or cause them to be educated. The law as written states that parents or guardians must “bring [children] up in some lawful and honest employment”, and must see that they get instruction in reading, writing, arithmetic, and other standard subjects.

The law is clear: home schooling is permitted.

However, it is also clear that home-schooling is not favored by State officials. This is because DCF regards the schools as its first line of defense in reporting suspected child abuse or neglect. With home schooling, DCF loses teachers as a source of referrals.

Aside: I have actually spoken to older, more experienced teachers, who told me that they would never call DCF unless they were absolutely convinced of abuse or serious neglect. The reason is that they knew, in routine cases, that the DCF cure was worse than the disease. Those courageous teachers risked firing or even arrest; and no, I will not reveal any names. However, that breed is probably dying out, as a new breed of educators takes over the public schools.

I have had several cases in which DCF workers made it clear that, if the parents chose home schooling, DCF would keep a closer watch on things. They would take a longer time to close a case. The meaning is clear.

Schools themselves are obviously antagonistic to home schooling. It threatens their numbers and their funding. In some ways, it also threatens their pride.

Nevertheless, parents have a right to home-school their children. But as many parents have discovered, if DCF finds out about it, they will jump at any excuse to investigate you. DCF threats have, in a word, a “chilling effect” on home schooling.

There are home schooling websites that parents may wish to review. Some lawyers concentrate in this area.

None of this implies that I personally agree with home schooling. I am a product of the public schools, from kindergarten through law school; although from a day when educators paid more attention to kids and less attention to school board lawyers. There are numerous advantages to public education. It is a decision that, by law, parents are empowered to make.

The point, again, is clear: home schooling of your children is legal.

WARNING:

As mentioned elsewhere, DCF regards schools as the primary source of referrals. DCF social workers are antagonistic to home schooling, as that removes the primary source of referrals.

There is a movement afoot to require mental health screenings of all children. This would naturally be implemented through the schools, and could signal the move to outlaw home schooling, which is common in socialist countries. The Sandy Hook tragedy provided the impetus to justify this intrusion on the family.

I cannot predict the future. However, the outlawing of home schooling would indicate beyond doubt that DCF intends to control virtually all aspects of family life.